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News and Notes

Kansas City, KS…The St Louis Lions earned a hard fought 3-2 victory over cross state rivals the Kansas City Brass on a steamy evening at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.

The Lions stormed out of the gates early and scored in the first 5 minutes of the game when forward Henrique Suosa chased down a ball on the right side and found Pat Kelly at the near post. Kelly’s goal was his first of the season.

Later in the half the Lions went up 2-0 when Henrique Suosa buried a driven cross by Gavin Smith. Smith stole the ball from the Brass midfield and charged past the defender leading to the cross.

The Lions continued to put pressure and had numerous opportunities in the half but failed to add to the score. Pat Kelly was stopped on a point blank header late in the half and Smith missed the goal by inches late in the half.

In the second half the Lions continued to attack but the Brass would not give up. The Brass scored from a free kick jus outside the Lions goal box in the 67the minute.

The Brass tied the game in the 73rd minute when Ricardo Yeverino outpaced the Lions defense on a thru ball.

The Lions lead by the scrappy play of Pat Kelly were not finished. Kelly, who had 2 assists in his last game, controlled the right side of the midfield and beat the Brass defender one-on-one. Kelly served the ball to the back post to a camped out Dan Meagher who headed it home to give the Lions a 3-2 victory. Meagher earned a yellow on the play for his celebration.

The Lions return home next weekend to face the Kansas City Brass on June 11th on St Louis Soccer Day.

St Louis, MO…The Lions put a win in the win column with a convincing 6-1 victory over the Springfield Demize. Tarik Sehovic and Gavin “Dodgy” Smith each had a pair of goals to propel the Lions to victory.

Springfield struck first in the 26th minute when Jonathan Hinds slipped a ball past Lions keeper DJ Lampert who was making his first start of the season for the Lions.

The Lions evened the score in the 33rd minute when Pat Kelly was sent in behind the Demize defense and placed a perfect cross to Kenny Kranz who tucked it neatly into the corner of the goal. Kelly had two assists on the night also assisting on the next Lions goal by Tarik Sehovic.

“Pat was great tonight he really worked hard and his energy gave us a lift.” said Lions Head Coach Tony Glavin

The Lions Sehovic struck again for the Lions in the 64th minute to give the Lions a 3-1 lead.Continue reading →

St. Louis, Mo. (May 20th, 2011)- The St Louis Lions hit the road for their second consecutive match against the Des Moines Menace on Saturday night. The Lions will then return home on Sunday to face Real Colorado in the Home Opener, 5:00PM at the Tony Glavin Soccer Complex in St Charles. Both weekend matchups are qualifying matches for the prestigious US Open Cup.

“This is a big weekend for us and all of our players are ready,” says Tony Glavin Head Coach of the Lions “We played well last weekend and we came up short but this weekend is a different game and we will go in and work hard to get a different result. We need the to win this game to stay alive in the Open Cup.”

The Lions dropped the season opener last Saturday night 2-1. The Lions came out aggressive in the game and went on top 1-0, on a head ball by Ernad Cavka at the 30 minute mark. In the second half the Lions gave up two goals in the eventual loss.

After the game Saturday night the Lions will return home in preparations for their Home Opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00PM at the Tony Glavin Soccer Complex.

“It’s the Home Opener and we can’t wait to play in front of our fans.” Said Jonny Brown Lions midfielder “I can’t wait to hear our fans cheering for us but first we have a job to do on Saturday night and we can’t think about that now. We need to win in Des Moines”

This is the sixth season for the Lions in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League. The Lions hold a 4-1 record on Home Openers.

“Every year we look to improve and this year I think we have stepped up our talent level once again. This will be an exciting season but we have a tough start in facing Des Moines twice and the Colorado. This is the Heartland Conference it is solid from top to bottom.” said Mike Poropat Assistant Head Coach of the Lions.

The 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament features teams from four of the five tiers of the American Soccer Pyramid. These four levels—Major League Soccer, United Soccer League’s Pro League, the USL’s Premier Development League, the National Premier Soccer League, and the United States Adult Soccer Association— each have their own separate qualification process to trim their ranks down to their final club delegations in the months leading up to the start of the tournament proper.

The event will feature 40 teams. Eight clubs from Major League Soccer will participate, six that automatically qualify based on last season’s league position and two that qualify through a play-in tournament. In addition, 11 USL Pro League clubs, 9 clubs from the USL Premier Development League, 4 clubs from the National Premier Soccer League, and 8 USASA clubs and will also qualify.

For information on 2011 Season Tickets, Group Tickets and Individual Game Tickets call 636-939-5151 or visit www.stllions

St. Louis, Mo. (May 13, 2011)- The St Louis Lions,of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League, are off to Des Moines today in anticipation for the 2001 season kick-off against the Des Moines Menace tomorrow at 7:30pm.

The Lions look to improve upon their 2010 season performance which saw the Lions finish in 5th place in the Heartland conference.

“Last year we were in a rebuilding year.” Said Tony Glavin Head Coach of the Lions “We had a lot of players move on to the professional ranks from the ‘09 season and we had to refocus on bringing in younger players. Our focus is to help players advance to the professional ranks and the process is working.”

In the last five years the Lions have helped more than 10 players advance into professional soccer.

“The Heartland Conference is an extremely tough conference, every game is crucial and it really gives the players a good idea of what to expect when they get to the professional level” says Glavin.Continue reading →

St Louis, MO…St Louis Lions players continue to move onto the professional ranks and two more have an opportunity to impress scouts this weekend at the UMBRO USL Combine which will be hosted by the Charleston Battery of USL PRO at the club’s famous Blackbaud Stadium from January 20-23 in Charleston, SC.

Defenders Alen Bradaric and Terrance Cosby as well as 101 additional players will be working out for soccer US and International scouts. More than 400 players applied to participate in this year’s combine, which offers a showcase for PDL alumni, recent college graduates and international talent to take their shot at the next level.

“I am very excited about the combine. It has always been my dream to play at the professional level. Ever since I was a kid in Bosnia I wanted to play.” Says Alen Bradaric. “Who knew I would end up in St Louis and have the opportunity to go pro and my experience with the Lions has really helped me develop professionally.”Continue reading →

This is a press release review of the Lions’ PDL season, by GM James Shipley.

Cottleville, MO… In its 5th Anniversary season, the St. Louis Lions of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League showed great promise both on the pitch and in the stands in 2010. The 2005 PDL “Rookie of the Year” franchise faced a very strong, competitive Heartland Division loaded with professionals and battled to a record of five wins, seven losses and four draws.

“There was never a game that we didn’t have a solid chance of winning,” said President and Head Coach Tony Glavin. “Despite our record, the difference in almost every game came down to one or two mistakes that are going to be made by a young team.”Continue reading →

The Lions play again today, Sunday afternoon June 27 at 2:00 pm at the Tony Glavin Soccer Complex. It’s $1 at the park. Call 636-939-5151 for details.

Chill Stay Hot Against Lions

St. Louis, Mo…The St Louis Lions dropped the first game of a two game set against the Thunder Bay Chill by the score of 2-1. The hot temperatures fit right in with the hot action with this always heated rivalry.

Thunder Bay riding a four game unbeaten streak opened the scoring first in the 34th minute when Brandon Swartzendruber struck a far post shot past a diving Nate Thackery. The outstretched Thackery was able to get a touch on the ball but was unable to send it wide.

With the Chill holding a 1-0 lead both teams battling the heat and exchanged shots and fouls as the tension mounted. “You come to expect heated and entertaining matches between the Lions and Chill. These two teams battle extremely hard” said Assistant Coach Mike Poropat.Continue reading →